Remington Developments

Wow!  I still have a blog.  Finally getting the writer's block off my back, so everything I want to publish that will never make it into a book I will release here just to get it out of my brain.

The Remington book I wrote quickly and as an encouragement for real local historians to publish a more extensive and in-depth history of the 'hood.  It's been 4 years and a plethora of new developments, but that book is of yet the go-to resource for the neighborhood newbies.  Wahoo for me.  And sorry for those few errata; yes, Pittsburgh has an"h"; Keen Memorial was Methodist, not Baptist; and Ross Hettrick was an important part of RNA (but he's now residing in Pennsylvania, so not as important as he thinks he is).  I will strive to update this blog with new research on the history of our great neighborhood.

So what has happened since my last post?  Four years of overwhelming development, that's what. Brief overview, starting with "Greater Remington" (which I usually refer to as  $eawall World):

2700 Remington Avenue replaced the old Baltimore glass and adjoining lots: 

This was then

This is now.


I like "now" better.  And Baltimore Glass did get a new home:

The Dizz is still there, along with the past management.  They seem to keep BGE in business and provide a haven for the JHU crowd.

Long Johns Pub was bought by the owners of Swallow at the Hollow.  When East meets West in the City, troubles abound.  However, Aaron has proven himself up to the task, at least from what fotos I could capture.  

I am so far behind,  but I will catch up with more developments, including the rise and demise of Blacksauce Kitchen (formerly housing Sterling's Seafood) and the expansion of Clavel in Little Little Italy.  There's another book here, but, like I said, it's a task for other historians!

Remington May 2017

 The Return of the Video Rental

May 30, 2017.  Ever since Video Americain shut its Coldspring Lane location in March 2014, diehard film enthusiasts were left hanging. Enter Eric Allen Hatch, director of programming for the Maryland Film Festival, who, along with six others, hope to fill the void.  They have created a Kickstarter page to raise money to open a video-rental store in Remington. 

Tentatively named Beyond Video, the store will occupy the defunct Reptilian Records building on Howard

The Green House of Reptilian Records
Howard Street

Street. Eric and the group, who are calling themselves the Baltimore Video Collective, have raised a little under $4,000 of their $30,000 goal.  They have also collected about 5,000 DVDs, and hope to open by the end of June. The group's Kickstarter page states: “We think video stores are worth fighting for. A great video store is so much more than a place of business. The best video stores offer an immersive experience in every era, genre and region of film culture. Like great bookstores and record stores, video stores are centers of entertainment, learning and discovery; a record of our cultural history; and an exciting social space where friendships, ideas and collaborations are born.” 

The store would be run as a non-profit, Hatch plans to run the store as a non-profit. All income would be used to acquire more movies, maintain the building and pay workers. 

Source:  Kaltenbach, Chris . The Baltimore Sun (Online) , Baltimore: Tribune Interactive, LLC. May 30, 2017.